


Lifetime

by jacqstoned



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Pining, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24536512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacqstoned/pseuds/jacqstoned
Summary: The smell of her— like dew drops in the early morning, like the wind before a storm— lingered inside him, feeding the growing warmth in his heart that he had yet to name.[Zutara based on Ben&Ben's song, Lifetime]
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51





	Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is just a little something I cooked up after I listened to a recently-released song by a local band, Ben&Ben. It's called 'Lifetime,' and if I were strictly following it this would be longer but would have so much more angst and really, I just don't have it in me to make this couple suffer more ahaha anyway go listen to the song, it's really good!

_ Was there a lifetime waiting for us _

_ In a world where I was yours? _

He watched as the sun set, its dying rays kissing the ocean and transforming the waves into molten gold.

"I am ready to forgive you."

He wrapped his arms around her, and tried to convince himself that he wanted nothing more.

_ Paper planes and porcelain _

_ Smell of rain through the window pane _

_ and the sight of you _

_ Oh, you were a good dream _

The smell of her— like dew drops in the early morning, like the wind before a storm— lingered inside him, feeding the growing warmth in his heart that he had yet to name.

The smallest of moments seem the most precious when they were together.

He found himself drawn to the way her giggles would bubble up from her chest as though she could never hold them in; the way she tucks an errant curl behind her ear, only to have it spring away again; the way her brow furrows, the way her eyes shine, the way her lips purse in concentration even as she did the most mundane things like washing the dishes or mending her brother's pants.

This was a side of her he'd never seen, and as the days went by, he wasn't sure if he could stop looking for her in every little thing.

She brought back warmth in this cold place, in this uncertain time, and even if he swore he was never happy, inexplicably, he was finding it easier to laugh again.

_ I was scared to lose you then _

_ But secrets turn into regrets _

_ Buried feelings grow _

_ Oh, you were a good dream _

He saw them kissing in the balcony during intermission, and his first impulse was to burn the Avatar to a crisp.

But amid the haze of red that had permeated all his senses was a dull, throbbing pain that coincided with every empty beat of his heart.

After all, he should've known. Should've known better than to look at her as someone more than a friend. As someone more than an ally.

They were at war. There was no place for— for whatever it was he felt, no matter how keenly he felt it.

It wasn't as though she felt the same, either. Who was he to her, anyway? Who was he, compared to the Avatar? Who was he compared to someone she often solemnly, earnestly, zealously referred to as the last hope of the world?

He walked away before he could see more.

He tried to convince himself to ignore the shock of electricity that shot through his veins as her arm brushed against his when she returned to her seat. Tried to ignore the heat of her gaze and the blush on her cheeks. Tried to dismiss her obvious distress at the play's final act even as his hands itched to hold hers for comfort.

All his life he's tried his hardest at a great many things. But when it came to her…

"Get over here, Zuko! Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs."

…his resolve crumbled to dust.

_ What if we tried _

_ Giving in a little more _

_ To the warmth we had before _

It surprised him that it didn't seem like such an abominable weakness when he let his guard down around her. 

He supposed that was the worst— or maybe the best— part of it. She was a formidable opponent as she was a fearsome ally. And when they fought together, side by side, oh, he never felt more alive, never felt more sure of himself knowing she has her back and he has hers, never felt so powerful and so certain that if need be, they could take on every problem the world had to offer. And that, he knew, was where the problem laid.

Because, even as the end of the world drew near and they pieced together a plan with the Avatar gone, he still thought of a future hand in hand with her, and try as he might, he could not let the dream go.

He should've known better. Should've known that he had bad luck strung around his neck like a noose. Should've known that inviting her to join him for the penultimate battle would put her at risk. Should've known that, after all his denial and his buried emotions, everything would inevitably lead him to  _ this. _

Even as he was delirious with pain, he knew that given the chance, he would do it over and over. 

Nothing else mattered as long as she was alive.

_ Tangled with another's eyes _

_ glimpse of me and you _

"Thank you, Katara."

"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."

And there, in her tear-stained eyes, he saw an echo of the future he had dreamed of, saw the flickering images of the could-have-beens and what-ifs he had run in his head multiple times.

He saw in her smile, as blinding as it was, a reflection of the same, unnamed entity that had taken residence in his chest— yet now, under this bloodstained sky, under her glowing hands, he knew exactly what to call it.

_ All this time, I have been yours. _


End file.
